PWHL Minnesota, Montreal and Boston all await finals – Hockey Writers – PWHL

On a crazy day in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), Minnesota missed their chance, Boston took matters into their own hands and won't enter the playoffs by the back door, but Minnesota could…if Ottawa loses to Toronto tonight in regulation. Once that result is known, Toronto will have 24 hours to choose their opponent and the playoffs will begin on May 8 in Toronto.

Act One: Minnesota and New York

The day started with Minnesota taking on New York at UBS Arena. Minnesota needed just one point to qualify for the playoffs. In other words, they had to not lose in regulation. New York, out of playoff contention, came out of the gate ready to fight. Micah Zandi-Hart's teammates dictated the game immediately and they never relinquished control. The game was Lindsey Post's first start in the PWHL and it couldn't have gone any better. He stopped 30 of 32 shots he faced and was named the first star of the game.

Related: PWHL Minnesota's top line must step up in the finals

While missing the playoffs wasn't something New York could have done at the start of the season, they went on an eight-game losing streak that calmed them down. The losing streak began on February 23 and ended on March 25. Before the international break, they lost three games in a row. After the elimination, they played without any pressure and ended the season with two wins. Their consolation prize is getting the first pick in June's draft, which should help them overcome their lack of postseason action. Meanwhile, Sarah Fillier, who many believe will be the first pick in the draft, finished her NCAA career at Princeton University in neighboring New Jersey. As it should be.

As for Minnesota, they didn't expect New York to come out so strong and were shocked the rest of the game. As soon as the home team took a two-goal lead, the body language of the team that gave up showed. This lack of interest is inexcusable and troubling when only one point is needed to qualify for the playoffs. Now their fate rests solely on Ottawa, and if Emerance Maschmeyer pulls it off and beats Toronto for the fourth time in five games, Minnesota will be out of contention. However, if Toronto can pull off a pet peeve, so will Minnesota. Time to light a few candles for the church ladies and hope for the best.

Act Two: Montreal and Boston

In Boston, Hilary Knight and company decided to take matters into their own hands. Captain Knight led the charge with the first goal on 15 minutes against Anne-Rene Desbiens. Three minutes later, Alina Muller was forgotten in the slot, making it 2-0 Boston. Early in the second frame, Knight made a great pass to Megan Keller, who put it in the back of the net to make it 3-0 Boston. Montreal looked dazed as they walked back to the locker room.

Whatever Corey Chevery told his players seemed to work well as they stormed back and scored three unanswered goals to tie the game with just over three minutes remaining. Ironically, even though Montreal didn't need the win, Chevery pulled his keeper in a 3-2 loss that led to Marie-Philippe Poulin's game-tying goal. Montreal thought Captain Clutch had done it again and thought the game would go into overtime, but Boston didn't give up and scored the winning goal with less than two minutes to go. Kaley Fratkin beat Desbiens last time out to lift his team to third place in the standings and secure a playoff spot.

Boston had an interesting year in their first season in the PWHL, they weren't a force, but they also didn't have long losing streaks. Their No. 1 pick in the recent draft, Alina Muller, did not disappoint, with the rookie leading her team with 16 points in 24 games. Minnesota's Grace Zumwinkle scored 19 points, as did Toronto's Emma Maltais, but it may not be enough to earn her the Rookie of the Year award. The trade with Minnesota for forward Susanna Tapani was a great one, as the new acquisition became a vital part of Boston's offense. It wasn't a great season for pre-draft free agent and captain Hilary Knight, but he was limited to just 11 points in 24 games, as was All-Canadian forward Jamie Lee Rattray, Boston's third-round pick. Rattray didn't finish the game against Montreal as he went down to the ice awkwardly after an open-ice collision. As for Knight, he arrived when his team needed him the most.

As for Montreal, the season has been a real rollercoaster. The power play struggled early and until the international break, truth be told. They couldn't get a single win against Toronto, who quickly became their pet peeve. The defensive corps was shaky at first and only stabilized when Amanda Boullier was added via trade in place of Tereza Vanisova.

It took a while to find line combinations that worked and a lot of injuries didn't help. Losing Anne-Sophie Bettes and Dominika Laskova for the rest of the season was a blow, but it's something to be endured in professional sports. Laura Stacey led the team with 10 goals in 23 games, and her increased role on the team allowed fans to find a top-six Stacey who could do anything on the ice. He has great speed and punch (although he sometimes misses it).

Meanwhile, fans realized how important Poulin was to the team when the captain was injured in early March, forcing him to miss three games and Montreal losing all three. In Montreal's first shootout, Chevery took advantage of Toronto's Kristen Campbell to single Poulin multiple times. He got some flak on social media for doing it, but I think he'd do it again if he was put in the same situation. Even though he doesn't lead the league in scoring, I believe he should win the regular season MVP award.

The stage is now set for the final game of the season, with Toronto taking on Ottawa tonight at 7:00 p.m. The result of this game will tell us who qualifies between Ottawa and Minnesota, but the matchups will have to wait until Toronto decides who they want to play in the semifinals.

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